


Bindings of Memory

by Jasonwolf18



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-15 20:27:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29689482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jasonwolf18/pseuds/Jasonwolf18
Summary: Strange towers have cropped up over the world. After falling asleep back home, Darkvald wakens to a world where no one remembers him and everything that made him special was taken away. How far will he go to get back what he has lost?
Kudos: 1





	1. Dusk Comes

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, so this idea of a tale came up from a group plot discussion and I ended up picking up this one. It is by far the longest story I have written and deals with some hefty stuff, though I do try to include some fluff to make the heavier topics not as bad. I do also take a lot of liberties when it comes to certain aspects of the world that are, as far as I am aware, not explained or expanded upon.

It was late at night when Darkvald decided to visit G'raha, knowing he was talking with the other Scions about the strange pillars that suddenly popped up all over the world. When he arrived at the Rising Stones, he waved at the patrons in the main lobby before heading towards the back where several of the Scions were still located. He heard brief mumblings up ahead as he walked through the hall, always garbed in his usual armor and carrying his trusty katana, just in case of an ambush anywhere he went. As he walked into the room, he noticed Urianger, Y'shtola, and G'raha studying different books, trying to find out what they could, with Thancred marking on a map where different sightings of the pillars. Even Tataru was there, though she was moving around, making sure every one's drinks were refilled. He knocked on one of the tables near the entrance, letting them all know that he had arrived, seeing them all look up at him. He walked over and gave Y'shtola a soft kiss, bringing her some honey cakes that he had made to give her energy for their study session before turning his attention to the newest Scion, G'raha Tia. "Hey, G'raha. Have you checked any of the ancient Allag knowledge? Maybe something about these things have appeared before during their time?" he asked.

G'raha hummed as he put his hand under his chin in thought, his right ear twitching as he thought about the question. "It is possible. There is much about their civilization that we are still learning." This interested Urianger who lowered his book as well, "Tis likely. Wouldst thou know where to find such knowledge? Other than the Crystal Tower, not much would bear those secrets." This is where Darkvald gave a little laugh as he looked right at G'raha, "I would think that the Crystal Tower could indeed have the answers we seek. Especially since it seems to be connected to different times and places. So how about it? Care for a quick road trip? And I promise I won't let you get locked in there again." When he said that, he gave G'raha a wink, teasing the poor boy some about how he had gotten locked in there once before. At the mention of a road trip, G'raha's ears had perked up, "Really? Sure, I mean if you think you really have need of me." With a smile, Darkvald gave a dismissive wave, "You know how to access those records better than I can. Together we can pour through it in no time. Besides, there is some stuff I need to discuss with you." With that said, G'raha had closed his book, leaving a bookmark on the page that he had stopped at and handed it over to Tataru to add to a stack that they were all going through. As he was doing this, Darkvald gave Y'shtola another kiss, earning him a sigh of irritation from Alisaie who had just entered the room with Alphinaud to join in the study group, "Don't wait up for me, kitten. I'll join you back home when I am done with my research." This earned him an eyeroll from Y'shtola with a blush gracing her cheeks as she shoves him away.

With a stretch, Darkvald turned on the engine to his motorcycle that he had left parked outside the Rising Stones, placing his katana in one of the storage compartments on the side before mounting it, giving G'raha a hand on mounting up behind him. With a roar of the magitek engine, they took off to the sky, G'raha clinging to his waist as they fly in the direction of the Crystal Tower. "I know I was joking, but seriously, I don't intend to let you get stuck in there again." He said into the personal linkpearl that he shared, knowing that the sound of the wind blowing past them would drown out their voices if they tried to talk normally. It took a few minutes of high speed flying for them to reach the entrance of the tower, Darkvald securing the bike and taking his weapon out of its container while G'raha altered the seal on the entrance to allow them both inside. As they walked through the halls, heading to where most of the knowledge would be stored, G'raha finally spoke, "Besides us looking in on this research, what was it that you wanted to discuss with me?" This made Darkvald give a brief sigh as he clutched the hilt of his katana, on guard incase something was still here. "It is something about opening portals. If we were to fail," he held his hand up, noticing that G'raha was about to say something, "it is a possibility, but if we fail, I would like to try to have a backup plan to get you guys out of here and somewhere safe." He noticed G'raha's ears lower at the statement as they entered a room with walls upon walls of books, with G'raha having to channel his aether into a pedestal to disable the security of the room, "If there was a way to do it, it would be in this room with the other information we seek. Shall we get started then?"

They each went to different bookshelves, pulling out any dusty tome that seemed relevant to the subjects they were both looking for. Many of the tomes that Darkvald was looking through boggled his mind, not fully understanding what he was reading. It looked like setting up portals to other worlds was indeed possible, but for what he intended, it would have to require the tower to use. He pulled out a journal and made notes, something that he would have to look into again and work with someone on how to set up. He was concerned of course with the others making it out of this alive, but he was doubly concerned for Y'shtola, knowing that he would throw her through the portal personally if it meant that she would survive if somehow he was unable to stop Zenos and whatever the remaining Ascians planned. Looking over at G'raha, Darkvald noticed that he wasn't having much luck, making him feel that maybe this was just a wild goose chase. With a big yawn, he stretched his back, looking at a magitek timepiece that he kept with him, seeing it was two in the morning. "We should probably call it for the night, G'raha. It won't do us any good to keep studying when our bodies say sleep is required." Looking over, he saw that he was already asleep, ears down and tail curled around the back of the chair he was sitting in. With tired smile, he walked over and gently uncurled the tail before putting the sleeping Miqo'te scion on his back. "I guess I will drop you off back at the Rising Stones before going home."

It was a fairly uneventful ride back to town, letting G'raha sleep against him in the front as he flew them back. Walking up to one of the Inn keepers, he paid for a room for G'raha, asking if they had someone on staff that could take him to his room. The response that he got would have seemed weird, but he was too tired to really pay attention, with the inn keep giving him an attitude that he could just take him to the room himself. With a shake of his head, he chalked it up to just being short staffed, Darkvald took him towards the room that he paid for, laying G'raha on the bed. He left a few extra gil on the table next to where G'raha slept for breakfast in the morning when he woke up before walking out of the room. It was time to go home and see his beautiful Y'shtola, though he knew that at this time of night she was probably sound asleep. What he didn't know was that as his back had turned to fly away from town and the Crystal Tower, there was another one of the towers that they were researching that had recently popped up and the glow of the crystal at the top of the tower was starting to dim.

He arrived back in Ul'dah an hour later, the clocks around town showing that it was 3 AM, and as he waved to the guards that patrolled the streets, heading towards the housing district, he noticed that they all stared at him with suspicion, chalking it up with there possibly being attacks at night, which is why they were on edge with anyone walking around at night. Finally arriving at his home, he had a tired smile on his face, glad to be home and get some much needed sleep. He walked through the front door, hanging up his armor and weapon near the front door before locking the door. With a yawn, he walked downstairs into the basement where he and Y'shtola slept, seeing her sleeping form in their bed already. Silently, he walked to the bed, knowing he would get a Flare spell to his face if he dared to wake her up. Gently, he leaned over and kissed her cheek, wrapping his arm around her waist as he fell into the world of dreams, his worries about the next day gone...for now.


	2. The Waking Nightmare

Darkvald was woken up at first by the sound of a scream, then a shot of lightning and two hits of fire to his chest, sending him crashing against the back of the hot tub that he had near the bed. He coughed hard, spitting a bit of blood before looking up with a groan, trying to see who had gotten into his home and attacked him. His eyes blurred as he looked upon a figure partially covered in white, clutching something dark that was aimed at his chest. With a shake of his head, his gaze finally cleared and his eyes widened in surprise, seeing an angry Y'shtola pointing her staff at him, clutching a sheet to her form. "Who are you and how did you get in here?" She said, the edge in her voice threatening to overcome her control to reveal the pure anger that she was feeling. Darkvald tried to raise his hands up as he attempted to stand, getting another shot of fire right into the chest again. He winced when the back of his head hit against the edge of the tub hard from the force, knowing he was probably bleeding. "This is very funny, Y'shtola. You know its me. We have been together since we came back from the First, remember?" He gently put a hand to the back of his head, to cast the most basic healing spell that he knew but not feeling the aether come, only chalking it up to the hit on his head somehow making him unable to cast any of his limited spells.

He saw that she was still watching him, not attacking him again just yet. "I do not know you. I remember that the Exarch had sacrificed himself to ensure that we could escape the First before he locked Elidibus in the Tower with him. You are unfamiliar. Are you some Ascian agent, sent to infiltrate us?" Shakily, he stood up with his hands held up, showing he wasn't going to try and do anything. "Come on, kitten," this earned him an instant sneer and a minor shot with another lightning bolt, "is this some prank that Thancred and the others convinced you to do? Did I do something to piss you off?" He watched as she still stared at him, readying another spell to cast at him, "I really should end you, but..." He watched as she took her other hand and placed it to her ear "Thancred, come to the Ul'dah resident district. I have captured one of Zenos' spies that seems to have tried infiltrating the Scions. No, he hasn't tried teleporting away, so I doubt he is an Ascian." With a sudden fear in his heart, Darkvald slapped the staff that was pointed at him out of the way, running straight for the stairs as fast as he could.

As soon as he turned the corner to run upstairs, he heard the wall behind him explode, hearing the roar of fire that would have engulfed him if he had been a bit slower. Several of his attendants that he recognized looked on at him in fear, a couple of them using linkpearls of their own to notify the city guards of an intruder. He barely had time to grab his katana before he felt a spear come flying right behind his head, seeing one of his retainers charging him. He dashed out of the building as fast as he could, using the sheath of his katana to parry the dagger that was aimed at his side when he exited the gate of his home from his other retainer. There was no time to think on what was happening, no chance to try and talk his way out of it, especially as he heard the alarms around the city starting to go off. ' _Fuck fuck fuck_ ' he thought, running through the streets. At times he had to hide in dark ally ways when he heard guards coming his direction. He had to get out of the city and find somewhere to sit and try to figure out what was going on. It took some time, and a couple quick rounds of combat where he found himself struggling to defend himself from basic guards that he had no issues dealing with in the past, but he eventually got out of the city.

Finally, he found a series of caves off in the distance, though he could hear the sounds of the alarms from Ul'dah and distant shouting. Slowly, he slumped against the wall at the back of the cave, hiding in the darkness. "What is going on? It is as if they don't remember me." He mumbled, his arms wrapped around his form as if to keep him from falling apart. No one seemed to recognize him, and that was starting to freak him out. Slowly, he put a hand to his ear, using his linkpearl to first try Thancred but got nothing but static. Urianger: Static. The twins: Static. Finally he tried calling G'raha, having almost given up hope, and he got a static filled response, "Dark-zzz, is that...zzz? Where...zzz...you?" Darkvald's eyes shot open, his hand clutching at his katana tighter as he nearly slapped his own ear at hearing a response. "G'raha! I can barely hear you. I am outside Ul'dah. I don't know what is happening. No one seems to know who I am!" He was getting frantic, not even thinking on how out of everyone so far, only G'raha knew him. "Meet...zzz...at Camp Drybone. zzz....at night." He could barely hear him, but he got the idea. He was about to say something until the linkpearl made such a horrible sound in his ear that he had to remove it and toss it to the ground, only to duck back into the darkness when he heard the sounds of movement getting closer.

Fear was starting to pump through his veins again as he crouched as low as he could go to the ground, trying to blend into the darkness as best as he could. Hopefully it was just some random beast that wanders the waste outside of Ul'dah, since he didn't want to try fight the guards or any of his friends. The sounds of movement finally started to move away, letting the hero take a deep breath. Quietly, he walked to the entrance of the cave, getting a good look at his surroundings and himself. His chest was covered with scorch marks since he was running around in only the pants that he had slept in, and the trickle of blood from the back of his head had slowed. With another attempt, he tried to cast a healing spell on himself, only to have it fail. While he never was the best at magic in this world, he at least knew the basics of healing, but to have it fail on him completely was baffling. Since he also did not have any of his other equipment, he had no food or healing potions either. Something was incredibly wrong here, and he needed to figure out what, and that meant meeting up with G'raha. With a deep sigh, he looked around and saw that for now there was no one around, letting him start his journey to Camp Drybone. It took him all day to get there on foot, stopping where he could for water, and when he got near, he had to steal a blanket to wrap around himself as a disguise.

Finding a spot where he could huddle and look like a refugee, Darkvald sat down and hid his blade as best as he could. His eyes scanned everyone that walked by, watching out for anyone who was looking for him. "Excuse me, are you a new refugee? Had a run in with a rogue Beast tribe?" Tilting his head to look at the source of the voice while keeping his face as obscured as he could, Darkvald saw what he only could describe as a brown cloaked version of the Crystal Exarch, but lacking any sign of crystal being over their body. He kept silent, worried that this was a trick as he turned his gaze back upon the rest of the area. He heard the person sit down next to him, "Don't worry, my friend. I have my wits about me. For some reasons the others only know me as who I was before I had gotten locked in the Tower, thinking that I was brought in to help the Scions. Now, why don't you join me at the inn, we have a lot of things to discuss." Darkvald looked over and saw a hand being held out to him, hesitantly taking the hand and letting him be led towards the Inn. "And I know you are going to ask, but the others all left for Ul'dah to try to find you that they didn't even think about my whereabouts. We will be safe here, for a time." This let Darkvald breath a more louder sigh of relief as he follows G'raha into the building and into the room that was rented for them.


	3. Ballad of the Lone Warrior

Darkvald entered the room that G'raha had rented for them, finding a single bed in the corner and a small desk against one of the walls. He shuffled his way to the bed and sat down, the makeshift hood of the blanket that he had been using falling back to expose his face. His face was almost empty, his eyes hollow of all emotion as he sat there. G'raha had shut and locked the door before taking a seat at the desk, looking at the Warrior of Light, "So, tell me what happened, or atleast what you know of." With a soft tone, Darkvald recounted all that he knew, that he arrived home last night, noticed a slight odd behavior in a couple people that should have known him, how he woke up to Y'shtola attacking him and not knowing who he was. It was when he was telling G'raha his encounter with her that Darkvald's voice started to crack. "She didn't know who I was, Raha. She only saw me as some evil infiltrator, sent to destroy the Scions. If she were to show up now, I wouldn't be able to defend myself even if I wanted to. Did I do all that work to stop the Calamity, only to lose my strength and lose the woman I love?" He was finally starting to crack, his hands covering his face as the tears started to flow.

However, G'raha was having the opposite reaction, his ears perked up and full alert. "Wait, you lost your strength?" He got up and called for the sphere that Darkvald had helped him with only a few weeks prior. When he returned, Darkvald looked at him with curiosity, "Well kind of. I can still swing my katana, but I can't cast any healing spells, and I don't have any other gear on me to see if I can switch to my Dark Knight power. I was also struggling with some guards as I was trying to leave town." He was confused, not sure how this had anything to do with what was going on with him not being remembered by any of his friends. He was even more confused when he was getting scanned by the sphere, and he was about to ask but got immediately shushed by G'raha. He studied the response of the data that was being transmitted to him via some sphere device that he held in his hand that glowed blue. "Well now, that really is interesting." When G'raha saw the confusion, he decided to clarify. "The reason you don't have your strength is because you basically don't exist. This sphere scanned you, but it came up in the results that nothing was there." Tilting his head, G'raha put a hand under his chin as he pondered what this would all truly mean, "So my guess is..." This is where Darkvald's eyes narrowed as it finally dawned on him, "That if I didn't exist, I never got the Echo to gain the strength I had to fight the Ascians, and thus never meet any of you. But...how come you know me still but every one else doesn't?"

Sadly, this was where G'raha was stumped, and with a shrug of his shoulders he looked at Darkvald, "Unfortunately, I don't know. I can tell you that there was a strange aetherical field over the area that was recorded as appearing before we left the Tower. I only have guesses." With a sigh, Darkvald shook his head, walking over to the window to look out into the night. He reached for his neck and grasped a silver locket that he wore around his neck, one of the few items that he was able to grab during his flight from Ul'dah. His eyes closed as he gripped it tightly, imagining what it had contained. With heavy sigh, Darkvald stood up straighter, his eyes narrowing and without looking back at G'raha, said, "So, what do I need to do to fix this? If everyone we know has forgotten me, as if I never arrived in Eorzea, then I have to correct it." G'raha sighed and looked at him, "You aren't-" Darkvald held up his hand as he turned around, the sad, broken man from earlier replaced with a hollow eyed look, "Just tell me what I need, where to go, and what I have to do. I can't drag you into trouble and make our friends think you are a traitor either." He sighed as he looks at him, a slight smile upon his lips, "I will do what I have to do, but you only recently came back to the Source. I don't want to be the cause of you losing all that. Trust me like you did back on the First."

For the next couple of hours, G'raha described the plan to him so that he knew what to look for. In case he got into a fight, Darkvald was given a couple of potions, one to heal and one to increase his physical strength. It wouldn't get him anywhere close to his former capabilities, but it would let him stand a chance against any beasts that came across him on his way out. He had complained to Darlvald about wanting to go, but each time Darkvald rebuffed him. Finally, G'raha left, going back to the Rising Stones so that the others wouldn't get suspicious of him while Darkvald found out that he could still teleport to the different Aetherite Plazas. With a quick teleport to Gridania, he purchased a dark robe and some armor to wear under it, before sneaking off sit on a hill that over looked the amphitheater. There was a concert playing that night, so he kneeled on the hill and laid his sword upon the ground before him. Slowly, he took off the necklace, holding it in his hand as he opens it, staring at its contents with a renewed sadness. The music from the amphitheater started playing, an orchestra at was playing a soft, almost forlorn tune that resonated with his soul. That is when the singer took the stage and the performance officially started

_~On the eve of battle, the swords get sharpened~_

_~The shields are raised, the armies harkened~_

_~The warrior stands alone, no where to call home~_

_~Long will he fight, long will he roam~_

_~Does he fight for love, or does he fight for fury~_

_~Best hide from him, when he abandons glory~_

_~May he finally find rest~_

_~once he joins the best~_

_~upon that lonely home~_

Darkvald closed his eyes, letting the music flow through him. Once the song was over, he got up and went on his way, not wanting to stay too long in fear that he would be spotted. 'If I am not the Warrior of Light, with the Echo gone and everyone else forgetting me. I just hope I picked up enough from you...dad.' He took a deep breath and went on his way, teleporting just outside of Ishgard to hit a facility that was his first target.

Bundled up in warmer clothing, Darkvald kept himself hidden as much as he could as he kept an eye on the building. It looked like any other building in the area; tall, gray, covered in snow, and minimal guard presence. Deciding to wait until dusk, he watched the patrols, his hands clutching the sword like a life line. 'I feel like I am becoming a villain by doing this. Is this how the Ascians felt, after the world got sundered and everyone they knew forgot how things were before?' His head shook and his eyes clenched tight, trying to shake the thought out of his head. Finally, dusk had come and the guard was changing shifts. Crouching low, he made his way across the field, dashing into the entrance when there was a spare moment when no one was watching. The item he was looking for was a special auracite that they had discovered near one of the towers, colored black and white. They had theorized that while White Auracite was used as a container, that maybe one that combined with black and some other items would reverse what is going on.

Quietly, Darkvald walked around the area, looking for a specific box. 'Ah ha!' He whispered, finally finding it, a small wooden box with Cid's seal engraved on it. Cracking it open, he pulled out the Auracite, putting it in a bag that he had on his hip before feeling a cold shiver down his spine. "So, when you couldn't infiltrate us, you chose to steal from us. What do you plan to do with that?" Turning around slowly, he felt his stomach drop through the floor as he saw not only Thancred, but Y'shtola blocking the only entrance that he had to escape. He moved a hand to the bag while the other went to the hilt of his sword, "Thancred, I promise you. I am not your enemy. I helped you with Ryne back in the First." It was a pitiful attempt to appeal to the memories that he felt had to be there, but it was an attempt none the less. He saw Thancred and Y'shtola lowering their weapons, giving him a bit of hope that maybe he succeeded, only to barely draw his katana to block the gunblade that was aiming to cleave him in two, a look of fury in Thancred's eyes. "Don't you dare speak her name. She died because of you Ascians back there!" There was a loud explosion as the gunblade shot off, sending Darkvald flying into some of the crates. In a staggering motion, Darkvald stood back up, downing both potions at once before holding his katana at a ready stance. "I didn't kill her, Thancred. I had fought to protect her!" His gaze flicked to Y'shtola, seeing her hold off to see if Thancred needed any extra assistance.

He really didn't want to fight them, but if he had to, then he had no choice. With a charge, he swung his blade at Thancred, having to think smarter with his strikes since he was no where near their strength right now. Luckily, the potion that G'raha had given him was actually giving him a better chance, as evident that Thancred was getting pushed back. However, the effects weren't going to last forever, so he needed to end it quickly and get out. As the battle raged on between the two, it was looking like he might overcome Thancred, only for him to distract him and disappear from sight, only to get sent flying with another explosive slash from the gunblade. The pain that Darkvald was feeling was intense, but it wasn't from the wound to his back that was the source of his pain. With a scream of pain, he shakily stood up, a red mist floating towards his face, blocking half of his vision temporarily. There was a surge of strength in him that he didn't understand, but it also felt dark, and when he looked up, he could still see clearly even with the world half tinted in red. "So, showing your true face now, Ascian?" He heard Thancred say, but the voice sounded mute to him, and he could barely feel the fire spell strike him from Y'shtola who attacked him.

In a flash, he appeared in front of Thancred and he slammed his fist into Thancred's gut with all his strength, knocking him to the ground. This was when Y'shtola to step in, aiming a Flare spell right at him. Darkvald blinked, finding that he was standing next to the Sorceress, "I'm sorry. I hope you will forgive me and remember that I do truly love you." He whispered to her before slamming the sheath of his blade against the back of her head, knocking her to the ground as well. This was only going to give him a couple minutes, but it would have to do. With his eyes closed, he teleported away, appearing on top of a frozen lake. Looking down, he saw what had been the source of his vision partially being red and the swelling of power. There, slowly forming over his face in a red mist, an ascian mask in design of a dragon's skull. In horror, he let out a cry of anguish that echoed for miles.


	4. Chains that can not bind Hope

It took awhile, but the mask did eventually disappear. Darkvald had tried repeatedly to reach over and grab it to try and tear it off, only to have his hands pass right through it. The snow filled area echoed his cries of fury as the former Warrior of Light collapsed to his hands and knees, ignoring the icy touch of the snow. He was suddenly feeling exhausted, both physically and emotionally after having to fight his friends and how this mist had pushed him beyond his current limits. Panting hard, he closed his eyes till he felt something slide and swing down below him, his breath visible when he finally looked upon what caught his attention. There, swinging below him, was his silver locket as if to call him to keep moving. ‘We do what others can not...my son’ echoed in his ear, making him look to his left, expecting to see his father standing next to him.

Sadly, he was alone out in the wilds. As he stood up, his hand went to lightly grip around the locket, calming his entire being as his eyes closed once more. With a deep sigh that sends out a large puff of mist, Darkvald checked his gear to make sure that his armor and weapons were still intact. “Alright, time to get back to work. Enough beating yourself up, right dad?” With a quick teleport, he traveled to the first location that he was told to go. This place was simple, easy to get in and out of with no real issue. It wasn’t until he teleported to the second place that he noticed that maybe the Scions were starting to catch on to his plans.

The building was guarded a bit more than the others, even the one outside Ishgard. He watched the entrance and snuck in and out when he could, grabbing the last thing he needed. When he was a good 100 yalms away, he gathered all the items and put them in a separate bag, wanting to be able to quickly get to them when he arrived at his final destination. Suddenly he felt an intense heat hit him square in the back that sent him tumbling to the ground. Looking up, he saw a blurry image standing before him with a dark shape aimed at him. With a groan, his vision cleared to behold Y’shtola standing before him, fiery aether glowing at the tip of her staff. “No sudden movements, Ascian, and no more tricks. What do you have planned with those?”

Slowly, he stood up and took a step back, his eyes showing the hurt and sadness of the situation. “My sweet kitten, please. You have to remember me. Somewhere in there, you must know who I am. If I really was an Ascian that wanted to cause you all harm, why were we in bed together when we both woke up? Wouldn’t I have tried to kill you all if I truly was as evil as you all think I am?” It was a futile attempt, but he truly was pleading with her, hoping that somewhere the real her was buried inside. A small spark of hope had lit up in his heart as he watched her slowly lower her staff, the fire spell dissipating.

“Why would I try to bed an Ascian? That is a fair point that you make. What proof do you have of what you say?” Her tone still showed that she had doubts about what he said, but he would take whatever he could. Slowly, he took off his locket, holding it out before him so that she could get a look at it. “This. You gave it to me during one of our dates. I have refused to take it off ever since you gave it to me.” His lips curled into a sad little smile, the image of the situation playing in his head, as if it was just yesterday.

_He had taken her to Kugane for their date, planning a picnic on top of one of the buildings that overlooked the harbor as the sun set. Even with her Aetherical sight that she occasionally used, he had tried to make it look as romantic as he could for her, with candles and everything. It had earned him a few teases from her, but she had seemed genuinely happy. Near the end of the date, she had given him the locket, having had help from a couple others to get the insides of it how she had wanted it. Upon seeing it, he had immediately swore his eternal bond to her, telling her that he would be at her side for all eternity. Of course, this had earned him teasings from her, and from Thancred and the others who had been eavesdropping. Thancred, Y’shtola, and even Urianger all made comments about how the mighty Warrior of Light had proposed, while Alisaie was completely red and pushing a curious Alphinaud away._

It was one of his most cherished items, and he had hoped that it would wake Y’shtola up from whatever was keeping the memories of them together locked away. She looked like she was about to say something until a dagger flew by, slamming into his hand and making him drop the locket on the ground. When he tried to reach it, a series of arrows landed right in front of his hand, forcing him to retreat as he looked at the source. Sure enough, several guards were approaching them, making him feel like this was a trap. With one last sad look at Y’shtola’s direction, he teleported away, going to the base of the strange tower that had popped up near the Crystal Tower.

What Darkvald didn’t know was that shortly after he left, Y’shtola picked up the locket and opened it, an unbidden tear forming in her eyes, even though she did not know why.

Inside the locket were two images that Y’shtola had to have help in getting them magically engraved into the locket. The first image showed a happy infant being held by two figures, one being an elf with glowing blue eyes, the other looked very much like an elf but it was easy to see that there was a dragon hiding under that image with both looking happy together with the child. The second image was of Darkvald and Y’shtola sharing a kiss and lovingly embracing.


	5. Breaking the Bindings

G’raha was sitting in his confined room, giving a sigh. After he had returned to the Rising Stones, he had promptly been put under house arrest by the others. They had suspected that somehow the Ascian that was on the run had influenced him, so for the mean time they were keeping him locked up. This gave him plenty of time to look over the information that he had gotten, only having Urianger come in occasionally to check on him. His ears did perk up as he noticed one part of the information seemed strange, noting it was in Darkvald’s aetherial signature. It was as if a darker aether had latched itself onto him and was slowly changing him. Cross checking what he was allowed to have access to, it seemed like the same aether that other Ascians had. ‘So this was their plan all along. I have to warn the others and Darkvald.’ He rushed to the door, calling for Urianger through the locked door, hoping he wasn’t too late.

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Darkvald approached the tower, pain occasionally shooting through his body as he held onto the device. It was a strange contraption but if G’raha said it would work, then all he could do was trust him. In his hand, the strange Auracite pulsed with energy that was being contained in the cylinder that he had picked up. Opening a hatch on the container, he poured some special powder that he had to also steal, causing the glow to intensify once it made contact. This only made the pain he was feeling increase, not for the first time cursing his miqo’te friend for this plan. The pain had truly started when he teleported away from Y’shtola on that field, and when he had reappeared near the tower, so did that mask for a short time. ‘ _I can’t wait to get rid of this stupid thing._ ’ He mumbled, walking into the eerie looking tower. It looked like it was made out of bones and flesh that sent a chill down his spine.

With a sigh, he stumbled his way into the tower, surprised that there was no one around. ‘ _Really? Is no one here? I would think that if the Ascians made these for some world ending threat that they would guard them at least. Wish we had known that sooner, could have invaded these and dealt with the problem._ ’ He made his way towards what looked like some sort of elevator, knowing he was supposed to travel to the very top. The whole ride up, the pain came in pulses along with the mask, getting stronger and lasting longer the higher up that he went. By the time that he reached the top of the tower, he was down on his right knee, nearly crushing the container in his grip as he tried to fight back the pain. Then, it suddenly vanished. No more pain, no more mask that had covered his face. Just him.

He was almost giddy with joy that it seemed to be over that he almost missed a terminal to the right of the room outside of the elevator. Out of curiosity, he walked over to it, his mission temporarily forgotten. It flashed on before he could even touch it, as if it already recognized him. With a touch of a key on the keyboard, he brought up the activity of the tower within the last 48 hours. Scrolling back, it had remained dormant until one point almost two days ago. Looking at the date and time, he recognized that that was right before he had left the Crystal Tower with G’raha. The tower had been used that night. Narrowing his eyes, he continued searching through the systems, finally coming across a project that was scheduled to start that night, Project Dark of Night.

Reading the project nearly made him stumble backwards, if it wasn’t for the fact that a chair had magically formed from the structure to catch his fall. What was shown on screen was how an Ascian had planned to use the tower to cover the world and effectively erase anyone who showed any sign of being a Warrior of Light. It would also erase their existence from any records that existed in the world and alter the memories. It occurred to him while reading that the only reason he wasn’t eliminated was because of the Space/Time nature of the Crystal Tower, and why G’raha knew him while the others didn’t. There was one addition to the plan that he noticed as he scrolled through, a remark that was made by the author of the plan about the current emperor of Garlemald, Zenos.

**‘By order of his Royal Moody-ness, the Warrior of Light known as Darkvald shall not be eliminated by this plan. Instead of having the Echo, he needs to have a greater power to properly rival him. It seems poetic irony that we have decided to instead make the so-called Warrior of Light what he has hunted all this time, one of us. The adjustments for this have been made and the plan will proceed as usual.’**

He started to laugh as he leaned back into the seat, his mind breaking at it all. “Of course that jerk still wanted me to be alive so he could fight and kill me himself!” He closed his eyes with his hand covering them, right as the mask started to form over his face against his will. Slowly, he stood up and walked to the center pillar that stood in the middle of the room, with a window that overlooked the whole area. He placed the device into a slot that he found, finding that the contraption reacted positively with it. A holographic keyboard had appeared in front of him, with the words ‘ **Enter a command** ’ coming over the speakers. Hesitantly, he started to type in ‘ **Abort Previous Task** ’.

Right as he was about to hit enter, he heard the sound of the elevator being used again, bringing something to the same floor that he was on. With a tilt of his head, he heard the sounds of several feet walking out of the elevator and heard “Stop!” Turning around, he saw the faces of all his comrades, even G’raha was standing there. The looks on their faces showed fear as they saw the Ascian mask, fully formed over his face, shook him to his core. “I am going to set things right. I have to set this right...for all of you.” He turned his attention back to the screen, his finger about to hit the enter button. “And who will you be afterwards? Another Elidibus, so obsessed with the cause that everyone is pushed away?” He flinched, hearing the words come out of Y’shtola’s mouth, the mask slowly starting to fade from his face.

“Do you finally remember me?” The silence that followed was almost telling, until G’raha stepped up to speak, “They don’t remember you completely. Just shadows of someone that seems familiar. I had finally worked out a solution for them, thanks to your data.” With a slight smile, Darkvald turned to look at them, “Well, you better get them to safety so you can continue to work on them. I know what this tower has done to me, and I have to stop it.” With that, he pressed the enter button on the keypad with one hand while using the other hand to use the Ascian portal, the one that he had seen them use all the time, to teleport the rest of them out of the tower. With another click of the keyboard, he effectively sealed himself alone in the tower as the message popped up in dark red letters before him, ' **Need sacrificial materials to complete the operation**.'

The glow of the Auracite thrummed in time with the power of the tower as it was building up a charge to undo all that had done what felt like a lifetime ago. Thinking that it was enough, he hit enter again, only to see the same message pop up. “What? Is that not enough?” He then looked around and saw how the building was made of bones. With a sigh, he put his hand upon the pillar, “I guess I won’t be seeing you again, dad. Take care of mom, I am sure she will be heartbroken when she eventually hears the news. Wish that you both could have met Y’shtola.” His hand started to be pulled into the pillar, and with a flash of light, his world disappeared.

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It felt like he was floating, his body numb. He couldn’t see anything, couldn’t hear anything. Nothing existed for him in the dark void. ‘’ He thought. What felt like ages had passed until he felt his head resting upon something soft. There was also...a breeze. ‘When did the afterlife have wind?’ Then there was a sound that seemed like it was a malm away, but was getting closer. It sounded like a feminine voice was humming a tune.

This is when all senses suddenly woke back up, and with a loud gasp, his eyes shot open. His hands moved around, only to have his left hand land on a leg, with his vision not working just yet. All he could hear was muffled shouting, dark shapes moving in and out of his sight. “....hear….?” A shape was moving back and forth in front of his face, slowly forming a shape that looked maybe like a hand. He tried to speak, but all that came out was gasps and wheezing, the figure that his head was on pressing a cold damp cloth over his forehead.

His vision started to blur out again with everything fading until his head was grabbed by the horns and turned to look at one of the faces that slowly started to come back into view. “....leave me yet. I swear I will go back into the Lifestream and drag you back here myself if I have to.” As his eyes came into focus, he saw a concerned Y’shtola, a firm grip on his horn to keep his gaze upon her. His voice came into a raspy gasp, his body twitching as it tried to start working again, “S-shtola? Ho-ho-how?” It hurt to speak. “Fetcheth him a healer now.” He heard Urianger speak, finally looking to see him kneeling beside his prone form.

“If I may answer, it looks like the aetherial parasyte that was converting you was used as the sacrifice instead of your own life. However, it had been so ingrained into your life force that it nearly killed you when it was pulled out.” Turning his head, he looked over and saw G’raha sitting down beside them, the tower that they were all in slowly turning to dust in the background. “When we came in to check on you, we found you just inside the entrance with some weird shards. We swore we even saw shades of Emet and Elidibus standing beside your body. The moment that you were pulled out of the tower, it started to collapse and disappear.”

He noticed a slight smile on G’raha’s face as yet another healer appeared, replacing Urianger who went to sit next to the sleeping form of Alphinaud, “They have been taking turns trying to give you aether to stabilize you, and Y’shtola has refused to leave your side. She even threatened to Flare us all if anyone tried to move you from her lap.” He had laughed as Darkvald turned his head to look at the blushing face of the Sorceress. With a trembling hand, he reached up and gently caressed her cheek, “I guess I almost failed my oath, huh?” He weakly said, earning a loving nip on the finger from her, “And you better keep your promise not to leave my side again, my love.”

One month later

Darkvald walked to the meeting with a crutch on his right side, still weak from the experience. He was bored at home as no one allowed him to even try to touch his weapons or armor. He had overheard from the others that they were planning a meeting to discuss the situation with the Garlean empire and had taken the opportunity to escape his home. There was no doubt that he looked funny, hobbling through the streets of Mor Dhona as fast as he could in a robe, trying to make it to the Rising Stones. The future seemed bright, but he needed to get better and back in shape before the fighting started again.


End file.
